Losing Faith

 

The 50th edition of the Harvard Youth Poll is out with some eye- opening findings:

• More than 4 in 10 young Americans under 30 say they're "barely getting by" financially, while just 16% report doing well or very well;
• Fewer than half feel a sense of community, with only 17% reporting deep social connection;
• Just 15% believe the country is heading in the right direction, and fewer than one-third approve of President Trump or either party in Congress;
• Traditional life goals are shifting, with only 48% of young Americans saying having children is important;
• Young people who became socially isolated during COVID report higher rates of depression, especially those who were entering high school or college during the pandemic;
• Support for U.S. involvement abroad remains low—and sharply divided by party;
• Only 19% trust the federal government to do the right thing most or all the time.

The poll has more details on 10 key findings, but we thought this shocking finding merited special attention by the establishment of the Democratic Party (click to enlarge):

"... When asked to compare the current state of America under President Trump to the Biden administration, just one in four (25%) 18- to 29-year-olds say the country is better off now. In contrast, 41% believe America was better off under President Biden. The rest are divided between those who see no difference (14%) and those who aren't sure (17%). 

"President Trump's job approval among young Americans stands at 31%—virtually unchanged from the 32% reported in Spring 2017 and the 29% recorded in Fall 2020. 

"While Trump's overall approval has remained stable, support for Democrats has eroded. The share of young Americans who approve of Congressional Democrats has dropped nineteen points since Spring 2017—from 42% to just 23%. In that same period, approval of Congressional Republicans has held steady, inching up slightly from 28% to 29%..." (our emphasis)

 

We'd venture an educated guess that the plummeting number for Congressional Democrats is due to their "leadership" turtling and "sending strongly worded letters" in the face of the Malignant Fascist's assault on America.

Two project leaders had this to say (our emphasis):

"This is a generation that's weathered pandemic isolation during formative years, entered an unstable economy, and faced skyrocketing housing and education costs—all while being told they're not resilient enough," said John Della Volpe, Director of Polling at the Institute of Politics. "What Gen Z needs isn't another lecture, but genuine recognition of their struggles and leaders willing to listen before they speak."

"Amid financial hardship and a devastating crisis of community, young Americans are increasingly disillusioned with the world as they struggle to find their place in it," said Jordan Schwartz, Student Chair of the Harvard Public Opinion Project. "This generation doesn't expect politics to solve their problems, but as young Americans continue to lose faith in government institutions, the need for politicians to listen to and learn from young people has never been greater."

Do you hear that, Democratic Party establishment?  These and other findings in the poll point to the failure of the Democratic Party above all to understand (listen to) and respond to the deep social, financial, and emotional concerns of a group that is, literally, our future as a country.  We have the next generation of leaders rising in communities, in local government, in State legislatures and in national office who are of this generation.  We need them at the table and in the forefront now more than ever.